Australia II - the winner of the America’s Cup 1983
AMERICA’S CUP HISTORY 1983 - 2013
The boat was designed by Ben Lexcen, a real individual of designers at that time.
The first time in history the AC was lost by the New York Yacht Club to a challenger. After 132 years the trophy moved to the Australian banker Allen Bond. The secret of his 12-m yacht was a keel as appendagewith a wing of lead. This construction moved thepoint of gravity down and improved her stability insailing and tackling. The boat was designed by Ben Lexcen, a real individual of designers at that time. His former name was Bob Millerwhich one day he did not want any more. Rumours say that he changed his name after making sure with Reader’s Digestthat a Lexcen was not in their customer list. As the Australians had no testing tanks in the country they got the approval to use the facilities of the Netherlands Ship Model Basin in Wageningen with their key technician Dr. P. van Oossanen.Then the controversy started, because the competitors, as the NYYC claimed that the boat and the keel have been designed by the Dutch institute and not by Lexcen. That fringes the Deed of Gift. All thisdispute with many actions from the defenders to eliminate Australia II was called “Keelgate” in consequence of president Nixon’s Watergate.